Cleansed by the Blood (Psalm 51) – Day 4

Please read Psalm 51

In v.7 David asks God “Purge me with hyssop,…wash me”.  He is asking God to remove his sins completely so that he will be “clean” and “whiter than snow”; David wants to be unstained by sin.

David refers to hyssop, which is a small plant.  In Israel, a bunch of hyssop was used to dip into blood and then the blood was sprinkled to ceremonially cleanse lepers (Leviticus 14:6,7). When David asks God to purge/cleanse him with hyssop, he realizes that the cleansing has to come from outside of himself.  He also acknowledges a costly cleansing – the sacrifice of a life. And that sacrifice cannot be the life of another sinner; it has to be the life of someone innocent. So David understands that he cannot cleanse himself and he looks up to God to cleanse him.

Dear brother and sister in Christ, do you realize that you and I, sinners, cannot cleanse ourselves from our sinful condition? Our One True God cleanses us, i.e. sets us free from sin. The good news is that Jesus the Christ died for your sins and my sins according His Father’s will and plan, and on the third day rose from the dead for your salvation and my salvation.  In The Glorious Exchange, Christ achieved for us what we cannot do or achieve. His death on the cross brings us life and he took our sins and gave us His Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). You and I should be suffering the wrath of God but in Christ God reconciles us to himself.  And that is good news!

The story is told of a chicken farmer who fled his home and farm during a fire. Before he ran off the property, the farmer opened the doors of the hen house and the chickens escaped the fire too. After the fire died, the farmer walked through his property, dejected and sad. He came to a hen lying on the ground, partly burnt to death with her wings spread wide open. Since he thought that all of his chickens fled the fire, the farmer was surprised to see a dead hen, and in disgust kicked the hen’s body. Then, to his surprise he saw two chicks run out from under the dead hen’s body. The mother hen took the fire to save the two chicks.  Jesus our Savior did that for us. He spread His arms on the cross and saved us from God’s wrath.

 

Dear Lord Jesus: I acknowledge that your suffering, sacrifice and death cleanse me with you blood. I thank you for cleansing me. Amen!

O God, cleanse me from MY sin. Day 3

Please read Psalm 51

In verses 1 to 9 we see how the psalmist, King David, approaches God, portrays himself during the confession of his sins, and talks about true restoration.

The psalm begins with David coming to God and pleading for forgiveness- “ Have Mercy” David pleads. Now David is the King of Israel, God’s chosen people. He vanquished Israel’s enemies. Singlehandedly, he killed Goliath, lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:36). He did many great deeds – but he does not approach God on his own merits, and does he blame others for his sins. David discerns that he cannot argue, reason or bargain with God, and that he cannot justify his own sinful deeds. So he approaches our God of “steadfast love” and pleads for His Mercy.

Next David talks about his sin. David IS AWARE of his sins and he uses three phrases to talk about his sin. First he uses the phrase “my transgressions”(v.1), and then he talks about “my iniquity” and “my sin”(both v.2). And he calls his sinful deeds “evil”(v.4). By using the word ‘my’, David owns to the sins he committed. It is also interesting that while King David’s words are about his personal sin, he addresses it ‘to the choirmaster’ – i.e., he makes his confession public.

The Hebrew word for transgression is the rebellious and willful overstepping of the boundary set by God. Iniquity means perversion. Sin means missing the mark (like an archer missing the set target)- the mark set by God. Using the three words David acknowledges the gravity of his sin and that he has sinned against God.

So David is a broken, desolate man. But he knows the ‘good news’ because he realizes the source of forgiveness, good news, joy etc. He knows that it is his(our) God who ‘delights in truth in the inward being’ (God knows your heart),  is the God who ‘teaches wisdom’, ‘purges to clean’, ‘ washes (filthy rags) to whiten’, speaks words that bring ‘joy and gladness’, makes the ‘broken to rejoice’ and ‘hides and blots sins’. David is teaching us the state of restoration that only God can provide.

As you can see dear brother and sister in Christ, David realizes that God is the only way out of his sinful and miserable state. How about us? Do we truly understand and own our sins? I am reminded of the story of Little Johnny. Johnny was nervous. It was the first day of school – his first day – he was going to kindergarten. He was the only son of his doting and loving parents. So his mother took Johnny to school and meets little Johnny’s kindergarten teacher and told her “my Johnny is somewhat of a trouble maker and mischievous. So whenever he causes trouble spank the kid sitting next to Johnny, and that will scare my son and he will behave.” And just like Johnny’s mom we try to blame others and expect them to suffer for our sins -instead of owning them.

Gracious LORD: I appeal to your mercy that you would forgive my sin of (name your sin(s) here) which I commit. For Jesus sake forgive me. Amen.

O God! Create in me….. (Please read Psalm 51) - Day 2

Just as there are different genres of music – inspirational (Gospel), classical, contemporary etc. – there are genres or types of psalms. The three major genres of psalms are Thanksgiving, Lament, and Praise Psalms. Even among these three genres are other sub-genres, and I will address those sub-genres after Easter.

Psalm 51 is a Lament Psalm. In a Lament Psalm, the psalmist is full of emotion and expresses desperation, hurt, sadness, fear, abandonment, etc.  He is desolate yet pours out his heart to the only One who is there for him- God. The interesting fact is the sixty odd Lament Psalms (almost*) always end in thanksgiving because the expressive and emotional psalmist (re)turns to God, trusts Him and praises Him.

My three favorite psalms are 103, 91, and 121. I read them quite often – more than any other chapter or text in the Bible. The fourth favorite is Psalm 51. Along with Isaiah 43 (especially verses 1-5), Psalm 51 helps and comforts me in my temptations and sinful state. Also, during those times when I can’t express my sin/guilt in my own words, Psalm 51 helps me.

So what is great about this Psalm? When I read it, I am comforted by this thought - if God can ‘blot out the transgressions David, thoroughly wash his iniquities, and cleanse David’s sins in His abundant mercy’ (V.1-2), God will, in His grace, mercy and kindness, do the same for me. He will also ‘create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me’ (v. 10) when I humbly approach Him. (I am not saying God should forgive me because He forgave David – also, you and I do not deserve His grace or mercy.) The ultimate comfort is that the One True God, who created the universe, and me, can recreate my heart and renew my spirit if I humbly ask him.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, you must have experienced, in your walk of the narrow way, hurt and heartache. During those times how did God’s Word comfort you?  Please email (for confidentiality) or post (1) the verses or psalms that edify God’s grace and mercy and provide you comfort, and (2) your favorite psalms. 

God of all Mercy, God of All Grace: as 1 John 1:8 teaches me I am a sinner, and I have sinned against you and have done evil in your sight. Yet I trust you because you are a Merciful God, full of Grace, and because You listen to my feeble pleas and confessions.  I humbly ask in Your Son’s Name, Amen.

More on Psalm 51 tomorrow.

* Based on my research, Psalm 88, a Lament Psalm, does not end in thanksgiving.

Ash Wednesday March 1, 2017 - Day 1

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Today I begin my 2017 Lent devotions. Please pray to God to give me the strength and the mindset to continue and finish what I begin today. I thank you all for your prayers and encouragement for the past two years and pray to God to bless you all.

Coming to Lent, there are many Christian churches that observe Lent. There are many that do not, because there is no mention of Lent in the Scriptures and there is no command –‘Thou shall observe Lent.’  

In Genesis 18 ashes are mentioned the first time. Abraham mentions human frailty in the presence of an almighty God when he states, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). Ashes remind us we are human, and we need to repent and seek God’s grace and forgiveness.  We also see that the use of ashes in the scriptures symbolize humility, remorse, and repentance. 

Lent and the traditions observed, whether giving or giving up something (charity, fasting etc.) or the adding of something (scripture study, meditation etc.), do not save us. Only God in His Grace saves us (Ephesians 2:8). Also, it is not a sin if the traditions are not observed or ignored.

So please remember that Jesus did everything for your salvation and mine. God is neither impressed nor pleased because we do some good. He is pleased with us right now because of Jesus.

Abba, Father! I thank you for your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us to truly understand and appreciate how You reconciled us to yourself IN CHRIST( 2 Corinthians 5:19). I ask this in His name. Amen.

If you need prayers please email me – ebmallepalle@gmail.com.